HDTV shoppers with a budget of around $2000 will have a new option come November. The Epson Powerlite 6100 1080p HDTV projector will go on sale for $1999. Until now, projectors had priced themselves out of most shopper’s budgets.

With another budget projector, the Sanyo PLV-Z700 ($1995), joining the fray, it seems $2000 is the new entry-level price for those looking for a 1080p projector.

The Epson 6100 offers the following features:

• 2 HDMI 1.3a ports, S-Video / composite jack, and VGA connector.
•  3LCD (3-chip optical engine)
• Up to 1800 lumens
• 18,000:1 contrast ratio
• 1,920 x 1,080 native resolution
• High Speed Auto Irus adjusts light output up to 120 times per second
• Opticinema lens
• 200-watt lamp
• 22db quiet fan

Links:

Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 6100 official site

Digg.com and Revision3 founder Kevin Rose has been putting together a new home theater system and filming live-streaming videos of himself doing it. So is he going plasma or LCD?

Neither, he’s anchoring his system with an HD projector, the Panasonic PT-AE2000U. The projector delivers a 1080p HD picture at 1500 lumens and a 16,000:1 contrast ratio and is currently going for $2700 on Amazon.com (review of projector). To complement it, he’s mounting a large motorized projector screen on the wall. There seems to be a large window right next to the screen–is he concerned about light washing out the picture?

For a receiver, he’s going with a high-end Denon (model unknown). Connected to it are a Series 3 HD TiVO and an Apple TV.

He didn’t stint on the speakers. He’s got a pair of Klipsch XF-48 floor-standing speakers ($1249 each) along with a Klipsch subwoofer and center channel. His rear speakers were not shown, but with his good friend Jack Buser from Dolby there to help him set things up, I’m sure he’s got things covered. Or is that center speaker doubling for the surround sound duties?

Rough estimated cost of Kevin’s current setup?

Projector: $2700.
Projector screen: $700.
Denon receiver: $1200.
Series 3 HD TiVO: $660.
Klipsch right and left floor standing speaker: $2500 ($1249 each).
Klipsch subwoofer: $500.
Klipsch center speaker: $450.
Apple TV: $330.
Professional installation: free

Total: $9040

Kevin’s Qik videos: 1, 2.

*Update from Kevin* Mr. Rose says he does have the surround sound system, the XF-48 Home Theater System. Also, his Denon Receiver is the AVR-4308CI.

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